Project: Maldon | |||||||||
Chris Atack | |||||||||
Baen Books, 375 pages | |||||||||
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A review by Lisa DuMond
The Skellig Michael Institute is an organization committed to preventing the final
collapse. If anyone can do it the Institute seems the most likely choice; they have
bottomless resources, the best-trained personnel ever gathered, and the guidance
of the world's most advanced artificial intelligence. With the computer brain
of "Helen" to guide them, and a single-minded purpose pounded into them,
certainly the Institute is the most likely to succeed in this impossible
assignment. That is, if everyone at the Institute has the same goal in mind.
Edward Wolfe, director of Project: Maldon, isn't so sure anymore that Helen
has the same measure of success in mind. In fact, Wolfe is convinced the AI
has gone rogue. How can he rely on the complex calculations which guide the
group's actions when he cannot trust the source? And, who will believe him
if he voices his fears?
Atack has created a future where fear is the healthiest reaction to everyday
life. Canada is a divided country. Upper Canada resembles a war zone. The
enemy, unfortunately, could change at any given time. In an era where the
rich are behind barricades, religious fanatics turn to violence, and the
poor are only a step from barbarism, it's more than your life is worth trust anyone.
Project: Maldon bites you in the hinder regions right away and hangs on
like a %$@*& pit bull. The action moves with the force
of the best suspense or action novels on the market. Wolfe and the characters
around him are believable and fully-formed, making their performances that
much more visceral. Make no mistake: bad things happen to good people,
grisly things that you will find yourself wishing on the villains.
When you can decide who the real villains are.
There is a topic one could spend hours arguing, long after the book is read.
But, there is one reassuring aspect: Edward Wolfe is hero material. He is
in power, he's brilliant, and he's in a bad situation, but Wolfe is one
of the good ones. Sometimes, you have to take your heroes with a lot more
dents and rust spots. He's not perfect, no. Would you trust him with your life? Probably.
Lisa DuMond writes science fiction and humour. She co-authored the 45th anniversary issue cover of MAD Magazine. Previews of her latest, as yet unpublished, novel are available at Hades Online. |
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